Trump gives clemency to more than 20 people, including political allies

President Trump granted clemency to more than two dozen people Wednesday, including longtime political allies, reality TV stars and a Louisiana rapper. 

His decision was influenced by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson and the newly named Department of Justice Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, whose nomination for U.S. attorney for D.C. was withdrawn amid ethical concerns.  

“Today 26 deserving individuals were granted clemencies and pardons. Each one represents a story of redemption, rehabilitation, and resilience. Their second chance is a second shot at life,” Johnson wrote in a Wednesday post on social platform X. 

The pardon czar later wrote that she was “Tag teaming freedom with Ed.”

Trump critics have questioned the motives behind the president’s “unprecedented” pardons and their projected impact on the criminal justice system. 

Here is a look at some individuals granted clemency: 

Imaad Zuberi

Imaad Zuberi was sentenced in 2021 to 12 years in prison after being convicted of obstructing an investigation into the president’s 2017 inaugural committee, in addition to violating lobbying, campaign finance and tax laws.  

Zuberi donated more than $1.1 million to the Republican Party and committees with ties to the GOP after Trump’s successful White House bid in 2016. 

Former Gov. John Rowland

Former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland (R) received a pardon after being convicted in two federal cases. Rowland, once the nation’s youngest governor, was elected to three terms prior to resigning.

He also served as chair of the national Republican Governors Association in addition to three terms in Congress in the 1980s. 

In 2014, he was convicted of election fraud and obstruction of justice. The guilty verdict came more than a decade after he pleaded guilty to being involved in a $90,000 pay-to-play scheme that brought him luxury flights from Key Air of Oxford to Las Vegas and Florida, according to NBC Connecticut.

Former Rep. Michael Grimm

Former Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) was pardoned after resigning from the House of Representatives and pleading guilty to one count of felony tax fraud, and he “acknowledged committing perjury, hiring illegal immigrants, and committing wire fraud,” according to The New York Times.

The outlet said he operated a Manhattan restaurant where he failed to report $1 million in earnings and hundreds of thousands of dollars in employee wages. Grimm has been a vocal advocate for the president in recent years, taking to television to defend the New York native.

Former state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson

Former Arkansas state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson was pardoned after being sentenced in 2023 to more than four years in prison in two cases involving bribery and tax fraud. He was one of several lawmakers and health care executives convicted in a Medicare fraud case, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. 

Hutchinson is the son of former Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.) and the nephew of former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R).

James Callahan

Labor union leader James Callahan received a pardon one day before his scheduled sentencing before a federal judge. 

The former general president of the International Union of Operating Engineers pleaded guilty to accepting $315,000 in unreported goods and services from an advertising firm that the union used to place ads. The gifts he received ranged from free tickets to sporting events, concerts and theater showings in addition to hospitality packages, according to The Associated Press. 

“I don’t know why you were pardoned,” U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said, AP reported.

“You weren’t pardoned because you were wrongfully convicted. You pled guilty to the misdemeanors. You weren’t pardoned because you were missentenced. Sentencing hadn’t even occurred. You weren’t pardoned because the law was somehow unfair, either in general or to you.”

Former Cincinnati City Council member Alexander Sittenfeld

Former Cincinnati City Council member Alexander “P.G.” Sittenfeld (D) received a pardon following his 2022 conviction for bribery and extortion related to donations to a political action committee, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. He accepted $20,000 from undercover FBI agents posing as advocates for a downtown property. His case appeared headed to the Supreme Court for review. 

Sittenfeld was on the rise and expected to launch a successful mayoral bid before his conviction resulted in a 16-month prison sentence in 2024. He served more than four months before being released while his case was appealed, the Enquirer reported.

Mark Bashaw

Mark Bashaw, a former Army officer who was convicted by a military court-martial for refusing to follow the Pentagon’s COVID-19 safety rules, received a pardon.

He was discharged from the Army in 2022 after a military judge ruled that he failed to comply with the Army’s COVID protocol. Bashaw refused to take the COVID-19 shot and would not work remotely or submit a coronavirus test before reporting to work in person in addition to not wearing a face mask indoors.  

Todd and Julie Chrisley

Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley were granted clemency Wednesday after a 2022 conviction on bank fraud and tax evasion charges. 

Their family’s lavish lifestyle was documented on the show “Chrisley Knows Best,” which ran from 2014-23. Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison plus 16 months of probation, and Julie Chrisley received seven years behind bars plus 16 months of probation. 

Kentrell Gaulden

Kentrell Gaulden, also known as “NBA YoungBoy,” is a Louisiana-based rapper who was convicted of possessing weapons as a felon. He received a pardon. Gaulden, 25, is the father of 10 children and previously served several stints in juvenile detention. 

“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father and as an artist,” Gaulden said in a statement on Instagram.

Larry Hoover

Trump commuted the federal life sentence of Chicago gang founder Larry Hoover. He co-founded the Gangster Disciples, which still operates on the street and in prison.

Hoover, who was convicted of murdering a rival gang leader, is still serving a 200-year sentence for a state murder conviction, the Chicago Tribune reported. Advocates have urged Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) to pardon the inmate, who says he’s no longer affiliated with the Gangster Disciples, the outlet said.

Charles Tanner

Charles Tanner received a pardon five years after Trump commuted his life sentence at the end of his first term in 2020, The New York Times reported. He had been convicted of a nonviolent drug offense. The former a professional boxer from Indiana was arrested in 2004 for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Charles Scott

Charles Scott was convicted of fraud for his role helping an Ohio corporation defraud investors. He also attempted to manipulate the company’s stock, according to the Department of Justice. In 2024, he was sentenced to three years in prison for securities fraud and ordered to pay a $500,000 fine. He received a pardon Wednesday.

Earl Smith

Earl Lamont Smith, a former Army reserve sergeant, was convicted of theft of government property for stealing thousands of government computers and selling them for profit. Smith pleaded guilty and waived his right to a trial. He was pardoned Wednesday by the president.

John Moore and Tanner Mansell

John Moore and Tanner Mansell removed sharks from a government-sanctioned fishing line in federal waters. They were convicted of theft in 2022, despite their claims that they rescued the sharks from an illegal poaching operation, according to The New York Times. The two were pardoned for their crimes.

Marlene and James Kernan

Marlene and James Kernan of New York were convicted of willingly employing a felon at their New York business and subsequently sentenced to probation in 2010. They were pardoned, as reported by the Times.

Garnett Smith

Garnett Smith was found guilty in Maryland of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and five years’ supervised release. Trump commuted his sentence, according to the Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Edward Sotelo

Edward Sotelo was sentenced in Texas to life imprisonment and five years’ supervised release in addition to a $50,000 fine for nonviolent drug offenses, including conspiracy, possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, distribution of more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, and more. The president commuted his sentence, according to the Office of the Pardon Attorney. 

Joe Sotelo

Joe Sotelo received commutation of his life sentence. He had been given life imprisonment with five years’ supervised release for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute one kilogram of cocaine, according to the Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Marian Morgan

The president commuted Marian Morgan’s 33-year sentence after she was convicted of wire fraud, attempts to defraud the United States, money laundering and making false statements on income tax returns, according to the Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Anabel Valenzuela

Anabel Valenzuela was serving a 32-year sentence with five years’ supervised release. Trump commuted her sentence, which followed her conviction for possession and conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, conspiracy to commit money laundering and criminal forfeiture, according to the Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Lawrence Duran

Lawrence Duran had a 50-year sentence commuted. He was ordered to pay $87,533,863.46 in restitution after committing health care fraud and money laundering, as recorded by the Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Updated at 4:09 p.m. EDT